Women are still far less likely than men to choose a degree in mathematics, computer science, natural sciences or engineering, but the proportion of female first‑semester students in those STEM fields has been rising steadily.
In the 2024 academic year more than one third of all first‑semester entrants in STEM subjects were women-36 % according to the Federal Statistical Office (Destatis). That marks a new record; ten years earlier the share was 31 %.
The gender gap varies widely across disciplines. In 2024 interior architecture attracted the highest share of female students at 87 %, whereas vehicle engineering had the lowest at only 10 %.
Across all university courses, a slight majority of first‑semester students were women in 2024, with women making up 52 % of the total enrolment.
Overall, 39 % of all first‑semester entrants chose a STEM major, amounting to about 318,800 students. Computer science was the most popular field (45,800 students), followed by mechanical engineering (23,100) and business informatics (22,000). The total number of first‑semester STEM entrants increased by 3 % compared with 2023, a slightly higher rise than the overall student population, which grew by 2 % (to roughly 823,900). Yet, over the long term the figure has fallen: in 2024 the STEM entry number was 5 % lower than it was ten years earlier.
In addition to university studies, vocational training also feeds into STEM careers. In 2024 about 167,700 people started an apprenticeship in a STEM profession-a 5 % rise from a decade ago, when 159,300 new apprenticeships were entered into. While the total number of new apprentices has declined by 8 % (from 514,000 in 2014 to about 475,100 in 2024), the share in STEM training rose. The most common STEM apprenticeship in 2024 was power‑plant tool mechanic (24,300 new contracts), followed by software specialist (17,200) and electronics specialist (14,400).
The vast majority of new STEM apprentices remain men: in 2024 88 % of the contracts went to male apprentices, compared with 12 % for women. This ratio has barely changed over the past decade (2014: 89 % men, 11 % women).
Finally, gender distribution differs markedly between specific STEM apprenticeship fields. Women account for only 3 % of new electronics technicians and plant mechanics for heating, ventilation and air‑conditioning, whereas they comprise 72 % of new optometrists and digital/print media designers.